Machine for making horseshoe-nails.



N0. 852,376. PATENTED APR. 30, 1907 S. M. CUTTER.

MACHINE FOR MAKING HORSBSHOE NAILS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNB17J1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT 1 'm flesses I 1 I liyegjfur' No. 852,376. PATENTED APR.so, 1907.

S. M. CUTTER. MACHINE FOR MAKING nonsasnon NAILS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17.1904.

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wiTl esses IWEIIIYDI 7 J J M No. 852.376. PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

S. M. CUTTER.

MACHINE FOR MAKING HORSESHOE NAILS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11.1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET, a.

54521155525 Igy EllTEl l" SOLOMON M. CUTTER, OF ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR MAKING HORSESHOE NAlLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

l'atented April 30, 1 907.

Application filed June 17,1904. Serial No. 213,026.

To (.LZZ whom, it nuw concern:

Be it known that I, SoLoMoN M. CUTTER, of Ashland, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented cer tain new anduseful Improvements in Machines for Making Horseshoe-Nail Blanks, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for the manufactureof blanks for horse-shoe nails from wire, and it has for its object toprovide a machine in which the blanks will be so formed as to have acompleted head portion, a part of the shank portion. completed, andsufficient of the wire at tached thereto to insure the completion of theformation of a nail therefrom, with very little if any waste metal to beremoved when the point is afterward produced upon the nail; and to formthe blank without projecting fins.

The invention consists in two dies, which engage the wire upon oppositesides and thereby force the metal of a portion of the wire into a cavitybetween the dies, which cavity corresponds in shape to the head and aportion of the shank of the nail, and so that the metal will fill theshank forming portion of the cavity in providing a die which enters aspace between the above mentioned dies engaging the end of the wire andforcing the metal thereof into and filling the cavity which forms thehead portion of the blank; a feeding mechanism to move the wire, withthe head and shank portions formed thereon, forward and thereby feedwire for the formation of the next blank; and a cutting 0H device tosever the blank from the end of the wire.

The invention is carried out substantially as illustrated on theaccompanying drawings, which form an essential part of thisspecification and whereon like characters of reference refer to likeparts wherever they occur.

()11 the drawings: Figure. 1 represents a plan. view of a machineprovided with suitable mechanisms to operate the blank forming dies andto feed the wire thereto. Fig. 2 represents a detail section of the diesused to form the blanks, showing the same, as well as the wire fromwhich the blanks are to be formed, in position ready to commence theiroperations. Fig. 3 represents a similar View to that shown in Fig. 2,but showing the parts in their relative positions occupied when theblank is completely formed on the end of the wire. Fig. l represents asection of the dies and blank, on the line AB in Fig. 3. Fig. 5represents a side elevation of the finished blank, and Fig. 6 representsa front elevation of the blank. Fig. 7 represents a section of the diesand the wire used. in the formation of the blanks, showing same in therelative positions which they occupy when the shank portion of the blankhas been formed and the heading die is about to engage the portion ofthe wire which is to be upset to form the head of the blank, and showingthe cutting off die in position to guide and support the heading die.Fig. 8 represents a section on the line C-D, showing the shape of thefront of the cutting oil die.

In making the nail blanks, I use a wire 1 which is preferably fed to themachine from a suitable coil, not shown on the drawings, and which ispreferably square in cross sections, but may be of other shape in crosssection if so desired. This wire is intermittingly fed to the machine byany suitable intermittingly operated feeding mechanism, which mechanismhas been shown on the drawing as consisting of two pawls 2 2, mountedupon ablock 3 which is reciprocated within suitable guides on the frame401'- the machine, by means of a cam 5 on the driving shaft 6 and anysuitable intermediate mechanism between the cam and the block 3, such asthe lever 7 fulcrumed at S to the frame, which lever is acted upon atone end by the cam 5 and has its opposite end connected by the link orconnecting rod 9 to one end a lever 10 fulcrumed at 11 to the frame ofthe machine and having its opposite end acting upon the block. The lever7 is kept in contact with the cam surface in the cam 5 by means of thespring 12.

The machine is provided with a pair of dies 13 and 14, the former beingflat on its working face and the latter being provided on the workingface with a cavity or recess 15 of substantially the size and shape ofthe upper portion of the shank of the nail to be made and also of thehead portion of the nail excepting the extreme top portion of the head.

These dies are mounted upon the machine in.

such a manner that they engage the wire 1 011 opposite sides and so thattheir working surfaces may be brought together with sulficient pressureto press the wire into the cavity in the die 14.

As the shank portion of a horse shoe nail is thickest where it joins thehead portion, and gradually tapers from that portion toward the point ofthe nail, it will be seen that the inner surface of the cavity 15.willbe inclined to the surface of the die within which this cav ity isformed, and it will also be seen that when the wire which freely entersthe cavity 15 is pressed between this inclined inner surface of thecavity and the flat surface of the die 13, there will be a tendency forthe wire to move toward the head forming portion of the cavity whenpressure is applied to the dies and the wire is pressed into shapewithin the shank forming portion of the cavity thereby. There will alsobe a slight tendency at this time for the wire to move backward towardthe feeding device and the cam 5 is so formed as to compensate for thisbackward movement of the wire.

Either or both of the dies 13 and 14 may be made movable, but I preferto make the die 13 movable and the die 14 stationary, substantially asshown on the drawings, whereon the die 14 is securely mounted inposition within a box or holder 16 made in one piece with or firmlysecured upon the frame of the machine and the die 13 is mounted within abox or holder 17 loosely guided within guides on the frame and movedtoward the stationary die 14 by means of the cam 18 on the driving shaftacting upon the lever 19, fulcrumed at 20 to the frame and having itsopposite end in engage ment with the holder 17. Springs 21 and 21 actingupon the lever 19 tends to move the holder 17 and its die 13 away fromthe die 14 and also tends to keep the lever 19 in contact with thesurface of the cam 18.

It will be understood that when the end of the wire 1 is within thecavity in the die 14 as shown in Fig. 2, and the die 13 is pressedtoward the die 14, with sufficient pressure, the wire will first bepinched between the working surface of the die 13 and the inner surfaceof the most shallow portion of the cavity 15 in the die 14. Acontinuation of the pressure will then press the wire so as to force itinto that part of the cavity which is to form the shank portion of thenail; will entirely fill said portion of the cavity, and will cause themetal of the wire to move toward the head forming portion of the cavitythus acting to elongate that end of the wire, and at the same time therewill be a slight return of the feeding mechanism and the wire heldthereby, which return movement is permitted by the shape of the cam 5.The die 14 is provided on its face with a cut away portion 22 whichforms a space between the two dies when their surfaces are pressed hardtogether. The extreme end of the wire which is used to form the nailblank will extend through the cavity in the die 14 and into this spacebetween the two dies.

A heading die 23 is used, which has its end so formed as to enter andfill the space formed between the dies 13 and 14 by the cut away portionon the die 14 and this heading die has its working face provided with acavity 24 which, in combination with the head forming portion of thecavity in the die 14, completes the shape of the head of the blank. Thisheading die is mounted Within a box or holder 25 mounted upon the frameof the machine in such a manner that it can be moved thereon into andfrom the above mentioned space formed between the dies 13 and 14.

The mechanism for operating the heading die, as illustrated upon thedrawing, consists of the eccentric 26 upon the driving shaft 6 and theeccentric rod or link 27 between the eccentric and the holder for theheading die. It will be seen that by this means the heading die isreciprocated into and from the space formed between the dies 13 and 14and will press against the end of the wire which projects within saidspace. This reciprocating movement of the heading die is so timedrelative to the movements of the dies 13 and. 14 that the end of theheading die will be forced into the space between the dies 13 and 14when these latter dies are pressed and held firmly together and uponopposite sides of the wire with the end of the wire projecting throughthe head forming portion of the cavity in the die 14 and into the spacebetween the dies. The heading die coming into contact with theprojecting end of the wire will upset said wire into the head formingportion of the cavity in the die 14 and in the heading die and will thusform the head upon the blank.

After the blank has been formed upon the end of the wire as thusdescribed, the heading die is withdrawn from the space between the dlessufliciently to allow for the operation of the feeding mechanism. Thedie 13 is then withdrawn from contact with the die 14 and the feedingmechanism is operated. to feed the wire forward into the space betweenthe dies 13 and 14. This movement of the feeding mechanism will forcethe blank from the cavity in the die 14 and will move it forward out ofthe space between the dies. Then the blank and a sufiicient portion ofthe wire has been fed beyond the dies it is cut from the remainder ofthe wire by a suitable cutting off mechanism. This cutting off mechanismconsists of a die 28 which moves upon the surface of the die 14 andacross the space between the die 13 and 14 so that its forward orcutting edge engages the wire and cuts it off against the edge of thedie 13. The cutting die near its forward end is made with a surface 29which is inclined to its line of movement so as to shape the end of theremainder of the wire in such a manner as to prevent the wire from beingbent by the return movement of the cutting die and so that the surfacethus formed on the end of the wire will be inclined substantially likethe incline on the top surface of the head of the next blank to beformed from the wire. This shaping of the end of the wire by the cuttingoff die acts to assist the operation of the heading die and also acts toprevent the heading die from having a tendency to slide ofl' the end ofthe wire or the wire to move from under the heading die. The forward endof the cutting die is also provided with a recess which acts as a guideto place the wire in a central position and to hold is so during theoperation of the cutting off die and so that it will properly enter theshank forming portion of the cavity 15. This cutting off die ispreferably mounted within a box or holder 31 which is suitably guidedwithin guides upon the frame of the machine, and the mechanism foroperating said die, as shown on the drawing, consists of the followingdevices:

A cam 32 is mounted upon the driving shaft 6 and said cam operates upona lever 33 fulcrumed at 34 to the frame of the machine. The opposite endof the lever 33 acts upon the box or holder 31 for the cutting off diein such a manner as to cause its intermitting reciprocation at thedesired time.

The lever 33 is kept in contact with the cam surface 011 the cam 32 bymeans of the spring 35 or by any other well known and equivalent device.In order to properly guide the heading die during its reciprocatingmovements and so that it will not engage either of the dies 13 or 14while entering the space between them I prefer to so shape the camsurface which operates the lever 33 and controls the position of thecutting off die that the end of the cutting off die will only withdrawto such a position as to cause it to rest against the side of theheading die and thus support and guide the latter die. This will preventany injury to the edges of the heading die.

The cam which operates the wire feeding device may be so shaped as toallow of a slight return movement of the wire after the blank has beensevered therefrom by the cutting oi'l' die, and in order to properlyadjust the amount of the wire which will be engaged by the blank formingdies at their next op eration and so as to completely fill the blankforming cavity without having any surplus metal.

Having thus fully described the nature, construction and the operationof my invention I wish to secure by Letters Patent and to claim:

1. In a machine to manufacture blanks for nails, dies having a cavitybetween them corresponding to the size and shape of the blank to beformed, a wire feeding mechanism, a cutting off die having an inclinedsur face back of its cutting edge to prevent bending the end of the wireby the withdrawal of the cutting off die after the blank has beensevered therefrom, and to leave the end of the wire with an inclinecorresponding to the incline of the top of the head of the next blank tobe formed from said wire and means to operate said dies.

2. In a machine to manufacture blanks for horseshoe nails from wire,dies having a cavity between them, corresponding to the size and shapeof the blank to be formed, a wire feeding mechanism, and a cutting offmechanism, a cam operating the feeding mechanism so shaped as to producea slight return movement during the operation of the blank forming diesto allow for the elongation of the wire thereby.

3. In a machine to manufacture blanks for horseshoe nails from wire,dies having a cavity between them, corresponding to the size and shapeof the blank to be formed, a wire feeding mechanism to feed the blankfrom between said dies, and a cutting off die movable across the ends ofthe cavity between the blank-forming dies to sever the blank from thewire, said cutting off die having a groove on its face forming a guidefor the proper guidance of the wire during the cutting off of the blankand to leave the wire in position to enter the blank forming die.

4. In a machine to manufacture blanks for horse shoe nails from wire,dies having a cavity between them corresponding to the size and shape ofthe blank to be formed, a heading die, means for causing it to enter thecavity between said dies to form the head on the blank, a wire feedingmechanism to feed the blank from said dies, and a cutting off diemovable across the end of the cavity into which the heading die entersto sever the blank from the wire, mechanism to operate the cutting offdie, causing its front end to rest against the heading die and therebyform a guide for the heading die during the heading of the blank.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

SOLOMON M. CUTTER. Witnesses HENRY OHADBOURN, NELSON CURTrs.

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